"Quick, quick, all of you who aren't dead, get up! Redistribute the sailors for the sheets and halyards! Up the masts! We must take in the sails in this Force Seven wind."
"Pull all the yards tight, shift from square sails to fore-and-aft sails!"
"Helmsman, is the helmsman still alive? Portside Qiangfeng, close-hauled! Northeast by east, three compass points! Tacking against the wind, a warship equipped only with large square sails will definitely not catch us."
"..."
The Man-Eating Shark was still trying everything to increase the distance, unclear about the extent of damage on the Warship.
The Pirates, having barely survived the ordeal, had no time to rest. After quickly bandaging themselves, they threw themselves back into work under the direction of the Captain and the pirate officers.
With personnel losses exceeding half, all tasks on the ship seemed somewhat strained.
With great effort, the Man-Eating Shark still edged forward towards the northeast, facing the howling sea wind.
It was apparent: to an observer, the ship might seem to be merely driven by the wind, but it actually had the ability to sail against it! In simple terms, this was akin to the application of the Bernoulli principle, as with aeroplanes. When the air flows over the sails, which act like curved wings, it generates a forward and upward attraction force, and it is this pressure difference that propels the ship.
Of course, depending on the rigging, the efficiency against the wind varies.
Square rigs, which are more capable when running before the wind, indeed have an advantage then, but are outperformed by fore-and-aft sails when sailing against it!
For instance, when the wind blows from due north, a schooner could choose a course 30–40° northeast or northwest to sail close-hauled. This position, closest to the wind direction and hugging the wind, is called "close-hauled" or "beating." Like the Man-Eating Shark at that moment, sailing against the wind on its port side could be more precisely described as "port tack beating." By alternating tacking on the left and then on the right, continuously "zigzagging," one can make headway against the wind.
Schooners can sail close-hauled within a minimum angle of 30–40° to the left or right of the wind. But a pure square-rigged Warship could only manage a bearing of 67° into the wind. The key issue is that the yards on square rigs are obstructed by the ship's rigging supporting the masts, allowing them to be turned only a little more than 50° to either side. This restriction means that the minimal angle a Warship could hold against the wind has to be greater than 60°. Anyone familiar with the Pythagorean theorem would know the huge difference in efficiency when sailing a "zigzag" course at angles of 30° versus 60°.
If the Man-Eating Shark had attempted to sail against the wind from the beginning of the chase, it would have been easily caught by the enemy taking advantage of the tailwind. But now, with their relative positions reversed, as long as they could create distance in this Force Seven wind, the Stern Cruiser would stand no chance of catching them, outfitted as they were with fore-and-aft sails.
Utilizing knowledge from his previous life, Byron actually knew of an even superior type of sailing ship—the Bridgetown-type mixed-sail ship. Combining the advantages of both square and fore-and-aft sails, it represented the pinnacle of small pirate ship development.
However, he wasn't ready yet to share this renovation plan... unless the Man-Eating Shark would change its affiliation to Lancaster!
When they could no longer see the Navy ensign amid the mountainous waves, the Pirates finally let out a sigh of relief.
Having achieved a turnaround amidst a series of impossibilities, many survivors still felt as if they were in a dream.
"Did we really survive?!"
"If we tell this tale to the other Pirates in Pirate Harbor, they'll surely think we're boasting, haha..."
"The sea has sheltered us."
Of course, everyone knew who deserved the most credit. Apart from the last action of preventing the enemy from planting their flag, which they did not understand, all his other merits were very clear in their minds. Altering the elevation of the sails, stopping the runaway rolling cannon, saving many comrades with his exquisite swordsmanship, accurately observing the Transformation of the weather... And casting an incendiary bomb precisely upon the Warship.
Compared to these old Pirates who had roamed the North Sea Region, Byron Tudor seemed more like a child of the sea, born to this azure world. Without him, the Man-Eating Shark would certainly not have survived, not even with a Transcendent Captain.
Of course, the "hero" Mr. Byron would never admit that it was he who was the main instigator of the naval pursuit!
Facing pair after pair of fervent eyes, Byron maintained a calm exterior, but the tension in his heart never fully subsided.
I managed to escape this time purely because the York Family misjudged my situation. In their eyes, just five days ago, I was merely a child, not even a Transcendent. Deploying a Level 5 Ship, a Law Mage of the Tribunal Sequence, and a Fortress Guardian of the Fortress Sequence was like using a cleaver to kill a chicken—an absolute overflow of combat power. Yet, they had no idea that I had awakened two Talents along with my Spirituality ascension, and with the aid of the Sailing Logbook, I was already a different person.
Cognitive Revision can perfectly hide me. Weather Intuition allows me to momentarily take on the role of a Navigator from the Lighthouse Sequence.
If it weren't for my transcendent ability, I would have perished at sea along with the rest of the Pirates by now.
Byron was very clear about his own capabilities. If there were to be a next time, I might not be so lucky.
Power! Only by gaining more powerful Extraordinary Power and establishing a strong armed force of my own can I truly have a secure foundation for living.
「At dusk.」
The Pirates responsible for cleaning up the battlefield had already stripped the corpses of all the Navy personnel and thrown them into the sea.
A total of 42 Pirate corpses were neatly arranged on the deck. Another dozen, led by the second officer, had died on the Cruiser, their corpses unretrievable.
Byron gathered on the deck with everyone to hold a funeral for their fallen comrades. According to maritime tradition, they put their companions' corpses into empty rum barrels and placed two silver coins on their eyes. It was said that only in this way could the sinful souls of Pirates afford to buy a ticket to board one of the elusive Ghost Ships on the high seas that sailed to the world of the dead.
PLOP! PLOP!...
The rum barrels were consecutively dropped into the churning sea.
Standing amidst the crowd, Byron's hand rested on the hilt of his sword, watching the barrels drift farther away. He joined the other Pirates in singing the funeral song of the North Bay Folks, 'Call of Valhalla':
"The hull departs from the fjord's chilly stream;
The ravens sweep over my vast domain;
War songs, legendary accounts, all predestined by fate;
I am both sturdy shield and piercing spear;
Sharing joys and spoils, defeating foes;
For honor, we strive with united souls;
Through fires of war and peals of thunder;
Honor alone accompanies us;
An eternal echo;
The Hall of Valor calls for me..."
The Pirates were long accustomed to death and did not exhibit much sadness; instead, they seemed to be singing an impassioned war song.
As the originators of all Piracy on the Old Continent, having once plundered its entirety, the North Bay Folks left indelible marks on this ancient profession. From drafting the Pirate Code to creating the Lighthouse Sequence—comprising Pirates, Navigators, and the Storm Knights who went legitimate ashore—to various traditions and rituals...
The belief that war dead live on forever in the Hall of Valor made them fearless in the face of death. Legend told of an inexhaustible pot there, filled with abundant delicacies of pork, beef, and mutton. They would drink fine wine and feast on eternal delicacies; most importantly, beautiful Fairies in mink would peel garlic for them, a life of endless joy.
As a direct descendant of 'Blue Dragon King' Reinhardt, king of the North Bay Folks, Byron was all too familiar with this. Far from feeling a decline from a prince to a Pirate, he actually felt quite at home.
However, at the end of the song, Byron suddenly felt a chill down his spine.
Turning his head, he saw the expressionless 'Bloody Eye' Salman approaching him with a limp.